This is the vegan Thanksgiving menu we’ve all been waiting for
If you’re vegan on Thanksgiving, it’s tempting to fall back on a good old-fashioned Tofurkey and call it a day.
But hello, Tofurkey is foul (pun intended, tyvm). And there are sooo many vegan foods you can work into your Thanksgiving menu that will surpass the tired supermarket meat substitutes of the past.
Just take a look at the Thanksgiving menu at New York City’s Urban Vegan Kitchen for inspo if you’re having a hard time. We got to sample it earlier this week, and no lie, it would delight vegans and carnivores alike.
Here’s what they’re doing. You should totally copy, either for Friendsgiving or your family party, just to throw everyone for a loop. And if you wanna taste the real thing on Thanksgiving Day, UVK is offering the menu for $65 prix fixe!
Feast your eyes, vegan babes and omnivorous health nuts alike.
READ ALSO: Thanksgiving is a Christmas cock block
Soup and salad
UVK suggests a gluten-free butternut squash soup or a roasted beet salad with pistachios and orange zest. These are both such cute, light options that you might wanna have both.
Plus, if you’re making dinner yourself, how freaking easy is it to buy a few cans of Amy’s Butternut Squash and just heat it up on the stove?
Entrees
Of course, UVK is offering a classic Thanksgiving plate with herbed seitan, mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, French green beans, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. But if you’re of the gluten-free persuasion, you can sub the seitan for herbed tempeh.
For those who like to get a little weird on Thanksgiving, UVK suggests also serving chick-un and waffles with southern fried seitan, sautéed garlic kale, crispy Belgian waffle and maple mustard aioli. This is definitely advanced-level cooking, but you can approximate it with the chicken substitute of your choice and some microwave waffles.
And what would any vegan meal be without a veggie burger? UVK will be serving up a UVK quarter-pounder with a roasted mushroom barley patty, crispy fried shallot rings, housemade special sauce, tomaties, pickles, iceberg lettuce, a toasted potato bun, and your choice of hand cut frieds or salad. The one they served us also included avocado and shiitake bacon, so we basically didn’t need to eat again for a week.
READ ALSO: The struggles of having to work on Thanksgiving
Sides
Part of the fun of Thanksgiving is piling your plate with a mountain of sides. The same is true for vegan versions of the holiday. UVK suggests mac ‘n cheese with cashew cheese sauce, Numu mozzarella, elbow macaroni, smoked paprika and herbed bread crumbs. They also blessed us with some maple roasted brussels sprouts with 100% maple syrup and whole grain mustard. So seasonal!
Desserts
Ah, the best part of any Thanksgiving meal.
UVK suggests an apple crumb pie with vanilla bean ice cream. We tried it, and it tasted exactly like a non-vegan version.
Then there’s pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting, and gluten-free chocolate mousse.
Drinks
Now for the best news: wine, beer and most liquors are vegan af! You can drink whatever you want, except for like Bailey’s. Maybe cop some vegan egg nog from Whole Foods and pour a little rum in?
